1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an aqueous two-component polyurethane-forming composition containing a polyisocyanate and a polyhydroxyl compound, a process for its production and its use as a binder for fiberglass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,522 to use aqueous dispersions of polyisocyanates as binders for fiberglass. When compared to known phenol/formaldehyde resins, the polyisocyanate binders cure at a much lower temperature, do not split off volatile monomers, provide at least the same strength, are not a potential formaldehyde source and do not require an amino alkoxy silane adhesion promoter. However, the polyisocyanate binders disclosed in the copending application have relatively high quantities of unmodified monomeric diisocyanates. Because the presence of monomeric diisocyanates may lead to industrial hygiene problems, it would be beneficial to reduce the content of monomeric diisocyanates as much as possible.
Another deficiency of the polyisocyanate binders disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,522 is that it is difficult to achieve complete cure during subsequent heating of the fiberglass mats in the oven zone. During the production of fiberglass mats, the fibers are treated with the aqueous polyisocyanate binders and continuously run through an oven zone in order to evaporate water and to cure the polyisocyanate resins.
When aqueously dispersed polyisocyanates are used as binders, the water serves as the co-reactant for the isocyanate groups to form polyureas. If the isocyanate content of the polyisocyanate binder is too high, water is evaporated in the oven zone before the reaction is complete and as a result, an uncured, unusable fiberglass mat is obtained.
A further disadvantage is that even though the preferred polyisocyanates of U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,522, i.e., polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates, exhibit a low vapor pressure at ambient temperature, they still contain high amounts (as much as 70% by weight) of monomeric diphenyl methane diisocyanates. Upon exposure to the high temperatures in the oven zone these monomeric diisocyanates can be volatilized which results in high concentrations in the exhaust gases. This represents an environmental hazard if these exhaust gases escape into the atmosphere of the workplace or the air surrounding the manufacturing facility.
One method for lowering the isocyanate content of the polyisocyanate binders would be to react the polyisocyanates with polyols to form isocyanate-terminated prepolymers prior to dispersing in water. However, this results in products which have high viscosities at the desired low isocyanate content, i.e., an isocyanate content of less than 10% by weight, based on solids, and thus can be too viscous to disperse in water even if they have been hydrophilically modified.
One method to lower the viscosity of the polyisocyanate binder would be to use volatile solvents. This method is undesirable because of the potential of explosions and/or fires as well as the environmental disadvantages of using volatile organic compounds. In accordance with the present invention water acts a carrier to lower the viscosity of the polyurethane-forming binder.
Another method of avoiding uncured polyisocyanate binders is to incorporate catalysts which promote the isocyanate/water reaction in the aqueously dispersed polyisocyanate binders. However, this method also does not result in a complete cure of the polyisocyanate prior to evaporation of water in the oven zone.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aqueously dispersed binders which overcome the deficiencies of the previously described binders. It is an additional object to provide aqueously dispersed polyisocyanate binders which need only small amounts of water to cure and which develop their final properties much more rapidly under the given conditions. It is an additional object of the present invention to provide aqueously dispersed binders that possess excellent adhesion, especially to glass fibers.
Surprisingly, this object may be achieved in accordance with the present invention as described hereinafter.